Thanks for describing my mother, uncle and many more family members. :(
I completely empathize with you. It's really sad losing our loved ones to very basic fear instincts being stoked by people who are actively ginning up the things they claim to "be against".
My mother is college educated, first woman in her family to have an advanced de…
Thanks for describing my mother, uncle and many more family members. :(
I completely empathize with you. It's really sad losing our loved ones to very basic fear instincts being stoked by people who are actively ginning up the things they claim to "be against".
My mother is college educated, first woman in her family to have an advanced degree. She always was kind to my friends. I grew up in Missouri. When I was in high school, a friend of mine came out as gay. His conservative and religious parents disowned him. My mom put him up in our house, and mediated with his parents. My mom used to be upset about "old dudes whose dicks don't work" telling women about their bodily autonomy.
Now - she's talking about how all abortions are awful, how women abuse it to avoid responsibility, how we're being invaded, the world is on fire...and Trump is the guy to stop it.
No amount of appealing to her logic or knowledge will help. I've tried emotional appeals, she just gets defensive. She is retired, is a type 1 diabetic (well managed her whole life but it's getting worse), she isn't rich, her friends are dying, and after my grandfather died her siblings went full "Knives Out" and were total vultures over his inheritance - she got screwed over in the process.
The world is a scary place and she is deeply resentful. She did what she was told to do and never fully achieved what was promised. In these situations people either A) work to fix the underlying issue or B) look to tear everyone else down to feel better.
My mother chose B.
My approach, as sad as it is, is just to call out her inability to self reflect, how the values she instilled in me are opposed to Trump / MAGA and calling lies blatant lies.
Thanks for describing my mother, uncle and many more family members. :(
I completely empathize with you. It's really sad losing our loved ones to very basic fear instincts being stoked by people who are actively ginning up the things they claim to "be against".
My mother is college educated, first woman in her family to have an advanced degree. She always was kind to my friends. I grew up in Missouri. When I was in high school, a friend of mine came out as gay. His conservative and religious parents disowned him. My mom put him up in our house, and mediated with his parents. My mom used to be upset about "old dudes whose dicks don't work" telling women about their bodily autonomy.
Now - she's talking about how all abortions are awful, how women abuse it to avoid responsibility, how we're being invaded, the world is on fire...and Trump is the guy to stop it.
No amount of appealing to her logic or knowledge will help. I've tried emotional appeals, she just gets defensive. She is retired, is a type 1 diabetic (well managed her whole life but it's getting worse), she isn't rich, her friends are dying, and after my grandfather died her siblings went full "Knives Out" and were total vultures over his inheritance - she got screwed over in the process.
The world is a scary place and she is deeply resentful. She did what she was told to do and never fully achieved what was promised. In these situations people either A) work to fix the underlying issue or B) look to tear everyone else down to feel better.
My mother chose B.
My approach, as sad as it is, is just to call out her inability to self reflect, how the values she instilled in me are opposed to Trump / MAGA and calling lies blatant lies.
So sorry.